Innovation and Technology

Overview

Open Window School is home to two fully-outfitted Innovation & Technology Labs (ITLs) – unique multi-functional spaces where students come together to create, invent, tinker, and explore. The ITLs are hubs of student-driven design thinking and innovation, and provide students access to real-world, professional-grade tools and materials, including laser cutters, 3-D printers, electronics, robotics, and more.

Both ITLs are home to:

Comprehensive computer science classes for every student K-8, fully aligned with the national CSTA K-12 CS Standards and the WA Computer Science K-12 Learning Standards.
Open Studio time for students to drop in and pursue personal passion projects and explore new tools, materials, and concepts with mentorship from ITL faculty.
A wealth of elective and extracurricular opportunities in a collaborative and supportive environment, including competitive robotics teams (FIRST LEGO League), Girls Who Code, Laser Cutting Club, Drone Designers, Assistive Robotics with Python, and more.

Lower School

Our lower school technology curriculum prepares students to be empowered learners, computational thinkers, inclusive collaborators, and computational communicators. We are based on the Computer Science Fundamentals curriculum from Code.org which builds on itself each year and prepares students for their middle school experience.

The computational concepts addressed by the curriculum start small but deepen and become more complex with each year. The core concepts are:

Sequencing
Algorithms
Loops
Events
Nested Loops
Conditional Statements
Functions
Variables

Each grade learns and practices these concepts through a combination of online coding puzzles, robotics units, and unplugged lessons.

Students also learn about important figures in Computer Science history and participate in lessons and activities that connect Computer Science to heritage months.

Middle School

Our middle school technology curriculum emphasizes problem-solving, creation, and collaboration. Based on the Computer Science Discoveries curriculum from Code.org, our courses build upon the CS Fundamentals taught in lower school and prepare students for AP-level Computer Science in high school.

Core Middle School courses include:

Problem Solving and Computing
Web Development
Interactive Animations and Games
Data and Society
Physical Computing
AI & Machine Learning

All courses emphasize the student practices of problem solving, persistence, creativity, and collaboration as students engage in authentic, project-based, culturally and personally relevant computer science explorations.

Back to Programs Overview

Open Window School

6128 168th Place SE,
Bellevue, WA 98006
Phone: 425.747.2911
Email: ows@ows.org

Open Window School provides a challenging academic curriculum blended with nurturing support from teachers that prepares students for long-term success.